Mount Major

Today after church one of my friends heard that I was planning to hike up Mount Major after lunch. He and his daughter wanted to join us, and we were more than happy for the company. We both went home to change clothes and eat, and then we met in Tilton. From there, I led the way to the trailhead.

My three companions

We got to the trailhead at about 3:00pm. Beth wanted to carry our pack (it had water in it, plus a first aid kit and some snacks), so I let her. It wasn’t long before she asked me to take it, which was just what I expected.

The girls do some boulder scrambling

Bella saw a rock that she thought looked like New York State. I had to agree.

New York is also a granite state

There was plenty of sheep laurel (same genus as mountain laurel) in bloom. I have a lot of this in my woods, but it never blooms like this.

Sheep laurel (Kalmia angustifolia)

There was also a lot of this viburnum in bloom.

Unidentified Viburnum

I don’t know which species of Viburnum it is – just that it is one.

When we got to the top there were several people there, and many of them were more than willing to throw sticks for Penny.

Penny at the summit

I cautioned them to not throw any sticks over the edge of a cliff, as I’m pretty sure Penny would go after one. She is a smart dog, but she is also single minded when it comes to fetching sticks. To her, it is The Most Important Thing. More so, even than her own well-being.

At the summit there is a little stone hut. It probably had some wooden bits to it once upon a time. I don’t know its story. It’s about ten feet by ten feet, and kids do love climbing around on it.

The girls on the
stone hut

We stayed on the summit for half an hour I guess, but then it was time to go.

Close to the top of the mountain we came across this little bog. On the way down, Penny dropped her stick in here and looked at me as if I were going to get it out for her. I don’t think so Penny.

Mountain bog

She abandoned it and found a replacement stick as we went down the trail.

I think we wore Penny out, which is something she desperately needs. I know we wore me out, even if no one else was!

Great trip for an afternoon. I like that laurel color! Have you ever read about their anthers? The tips fit in small pockets in the petals and they snap out when a pollinator lands on the flower. When it leaves the anthers slowly return to their pockets. You can see them in their pockets clearly in your photo.